UNISON will be hosting the Cuban Ambassador to the UK on her first ever visit to Wales.
Ambassador Bárbara Montalvo will attend a reception at the Cardiff office of the public services union which represents tens of thousands of workers across Wales.
The inaugural visit follows the UNISON Cymru/Wales international forum’s solidarity towards Cuba during the pandemic and a subsequent trip by the union’s representatives to the embassy in London.
The event on Friday September 30 is being organised by Cymru Cuba, the Welsh branch of the Cuban Solidarity Campaign in Britain, and the ambassador is also meeting First Minister Mark Drakeford and Education Minister Jeremy Miles during her stay in Wales.
UNSION will host the ambassador at its Cardiff office for a lunchtime reception lead by UNISON Cymru/Wales regional secretary Dominic MacAskill.
The visit will also include a tour of the permanent exhibition of working-class history in Wales based in UNISON’s Cardiff office and comes after Cuban hospitals and medical staff fighting the COVID-19 pandemic received a £12,000 donation from Welsh public service workers in June 2021.
Raul Lopez, UNISON Cymru Wales international forum deputy chair, welcomed the ambassador’s visit and said: “As a UNISON member, international forum deputy chair and dual national Spanish-British, I cannot appreciate enough how Wales, one of the most progressive places in the world and our great union, is helping one of the most socialist nations in the world.
“Cuba has been suffering a cruel blockade by the US, a blockade that has been condemned by the UN for 30 years in a row.”
Dominic MacAskill, UNISON Cymru/Wales regional secretary, said: “UNISON is honoured to host the Cuban Ambassador on her first visit to Wales.
“Public service workers in Wales felt a solidarity with Cuban healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic having themselves experienced very trying conditions and seeing the devastation caused when there was a lack of protective equipment.
“It is fantastic that we are able to show the ambassador our ground-breaking exhibition of working life in Wales during her inaugural visit.”
